Campaign Story

Dear friends, family, and kind supporters,

My name is Darianne, and my husband’s name is Hunter. If you’re reading this, I want to take a moment to express our deep gratitude. It means the world to us that you are taking the time to read our fertility story and learn about the incredibly challenging road we’ve traveled in our journey toward parenthood.

Hunter and I have been together for 11 years and married for 3 and a half. From the beginning of our marriage, we knew we were ready to start our family. Becoming parents has always been our dream, but little did we know, what was supposed to be the most exciting time of our lives quickly turned into the darkest years we’ve ever faced.

I became pregnant shortly after our wedding, and the excitement we felt was beyond words. We couldn’t believe it was happening so quickly! But, just six weeks later, at our first ultrasound, we learned that there was no embryo in our little sac. We were devastated. Still, we were told how common miscarriages are, and that our next pregnancy would likely be successful.

A few months later, we were pregnant again. This time, I was excited but apprehensive due to our previous loss. Unfortunately, at our first ultrasound, we once again discovered that it was a non-viable pregnancy. The heartbreak was unbearable. Two miscarriages in a row? We knew something had to be wrong. But, as we were told, doctors would not do further testing until we had experienced three losses.

Months went by, and we experienced our third miscarriage. This loss took a tremendous emotional and physical toll on me. Doctors performed bloodwork on both of us, but the results showed we were both seemingly healthy, with no clear answers. After another few months, we found ourselves pregnant again, but once more, the pregnancy ended in a miscarriage.

This time, after the loss, I had an HSG procedure to evaluate my uterus, where we discovered scarring from a previous D&C procedure. I couldn’t believe our bad luck. I then underwent a hysteroscopy to remove the scar tissue, which, thankfully, was successful. However, the aftermath and healing process was excruciatingly painful.

After this procedure, we became pregnant again, and at last, we saw a heartbeat on the ultrasound — the first one we had ever seen. It was the happiest day of our lives. Our little boy, the one we had longed for, was thriving. But just one week later, I began bleeding and miscarried our baby boy just two days before Christmas. I had planned to share the ultrasound photos with our family on Christmas Day, but needless to say, it was the most miserable holiday we’ve ever experienced.

Since then, I’ve suffered two additional early miscarriages and am currently experiencing my eighth loss. Eight miscarriages in three and a half years. We feel defeated, emotionally and physically drained.

Though our relationship has remained strong, this journey has strained my relationship with myself and my faith. Still, I hold on to hope that God has a plan for us.

As you can see, we can conceive, but we cannot stay pregnant. We have sought fertility treatment at Shady Grove Fertility, where our doctor has told us that IVF is the only path to increase our chances of a successful pregnancy. Due to my history of recurrent miscarriage, the only option we have is to proceed with Shady Grove’s Shared Risk Program, which costs $25,000. This fee does not even cover the additional testing and medications we will need. Unfortunately, neither of our insurance companies offers fertility coverage, and we simply cannot afford this on our own.

This journey has not only caused emotional and physical hardship, but it has also put a significant financial strain on us. We never imagined we would be in a position to ask for help, but we feel desperate and out of options.

We are deeply grateful for any support you may be able to offer in helping us fulfill our dream of bringing baby Poole home. If nothing else, we hope that sharing our story will shed light on the 1% of women who experience recurrent pregnancy loss and help destigmatize miscarriage for women everywhere.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Your support means the world to us.

God Bless,
Darianne & Hunter Poole